By admin 
The Justice Department sent a letter to all state election officials warning that they could be criminally charged if they allow non-citizens to vote. The move is part of the Trump administration’s push on election integrity ahead of the midterms. Critics call this federal overreach, saying existing safeguards are already in place.
Read more Justin Bieber, Madonna among those joining World Cup final halftime show
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes criticized the Justice Department’s letter, calling it “adversarial,” and said election officials need federal support, not threats of prosecution.
RELATED STORY | Trump signs order to tighten rules around mail-in voting, setting up likely legal challenges
He described the warning as “unconscionable,” saying it creates unnecessary fear during election administration.
“It is really a menace in a time when we really need to be coming together just to administer elections,” he told Scripps News. “The reasonable person, the professional election administrator wants support. They want to be able to do their jobs for their voters, because at the end of the day, that’s where the focus ought to be.”
Fontes said he does not believe the letter will discourage election workers, citing the resilience of election officials through crises including COVID-19 and threats of violence.
“We are kind of the display of grit and the constancy that America depends on, and everyone depends on that constancy,” he said.
Fontes expressed concern the DOJ’s message could undermine voter confidence more than election worker morale.
“I worry about voters. I worry that this is sending the wrong message to the American voter, and this is when we need leadership,” he said.
The Trump administration has made cracking down on non-citizens voting a major priority, despite little evidence to show large numbers of non-citizens have been able to cast a ballot.
RELATED STORY | USPS proposes rule requiring states to share voter lists for mail-in ballots
The Brennan Center said it conducted a thorough audit of the 2016 election and found that improper noncitizen votes accounted for 0.0001.
“The absence of fraud reinforces a wide consensus among scholars, journalists, and election administrators: voter fraud of any kind, including noncitizen voting, is rare,” the group said.
Read more Roosevelt Elementary School District votes to rename Cesar Chavez Community School